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Inotuzumab ozogamicin (InO) is an antibody-drug conjugate approved for the treatment of relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Several clinical trials are investigating InO in combination with low-intensity chemotherapy or other anti-ALL-targeted therapies in the salvage and frontline settings, notably in older adults who often cannot tolerate intensive chemotherapy and tend to have higher-risk disease. InO is also increasingly used to bridge patients to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), in sequence with chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, to eliminate measurable residual disease and to prevent post-HSCT relapse. Veno-occlusive disease/sinusoidal obstruction syndrome is a potential complication of InO treatment, particularly when followed by HSCT. Herein, the authors review the historical development and current status of InO, strategies for mitigating the risk of InO-related veno-occlusive disease/sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, and future directions for InO research and clinical use., (© 2024 The Author(s). Cancer published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Cancer Society.)

Asparaginase (ASP)-containing regimens for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE). We evaluated the prevalence, risk factors, role of prophylaxis and clinical impact of VTE among adolescents and young adult (AYA) patients (15-50 years) treated on Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) ALL protocols. The 1- and 2-year cumulative incidence of VTE were 31.9% (95% CI: 27.0%, 36.9%) and 33.5% (95% CI: 28.5%, 38.5%) respectively, with most events occurring during ASP-based consolidation phase (68.6%). VTE was more frequent in patients with overweight/obese vs. normal BMI (39.2% vs. 29.0%, p = 0.048). In a 1-year landmark analysis, the 4-year overall survival was 91.5%, without difference between patients with vs. without VTE (93.8% vs. 90.0%, p = 0.93). Relapse and non-relapse mortality rates were also similar. Among patients treated at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, cerebral sinus vein thrombosis occurred in 3.6% of patients (8.5% of VTE events) in comparison to pulmonary embolism (32.9%) and deep vein thromboses (58.6%, 24.4% line-associated). In a Cox regression model for VTE free-time, elevated BMI was associated with shorter VTE free-time (HR 1.94 [95% CI 1.13-3.35], p = 0.018), while low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) prophylaxis as time-varying covariate was not. In conclusion, we found that VTE was frequent in AYAs treated on DFCI ALL protocols but did not impact survival outcomes. Overweight/obese BMI increased risk for VTE., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: On the basis of the results of the ZUMA-3 trial, brexucabtagene autoleucel (brexu-cel), a CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, gained US Food and Drug Administration approval in October 2021 for adults with relapsed/refractory (R/R) B-cell ALL (B-ALL). We report outcomes of patients treated with brexu-cel as a standard therapy., Methods: We developed a collaboration across 31 US centers to study adults with B-ALL who received brexu-cel outside the context of a clinical trial. Data were collected retrospectively from October 2021 to October 2023. Toxicities were graded per American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy guidelines for cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS)., Results: At the time of data lock, 204 patients had undergone apheresis and 189 were infused. Median follow-up time was 11.4 months. Forty-two percent of patients received brexu-cel in morphologic remission and would have been ineligible for participation in ZUMA-3. After brexu-cel, 151 achieved complete remission (CR), of which 79% were measurable residual disease (MRD) negative remissions. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 9.5 months and median overall survival was not reached. Grade 3-4 CRS or ICANS occurred in 11% and 31%, respectively. In multivariable analysis, patients receiving consolidative hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT; hazard ratio, 0.34 [95% CI, 0.14 to 0.85]) after brexu-cel had superior PFS compared with those who did not receive any consolidation or maintenance therapy., Conclusion: Similar to ZUMA-3, high rates of MRD-negative CR were observed after brexu-cel treatment for R/R B-ALL. The use of HCT as consolidation after brexu-cel resulted in improved PFS.

Dasatinib is effective treatment for Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute leukemia but some patients develop resistance. Combination treatment with dasatinib and asciminib, an allosteric inhibitor of BCR::ABL1, may deepen responses and prevent the emergence of dasatinib-resistant clones. In this phase 1 study (NCT03595017), 24 adults with Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL, n=22; p190, n=16; p210, n=6) and chronic myeloid leukemia in lymphoid blast crisis (CML-LBC, n=2) were treated with escalating daily doses of asciminib in combination with dasatinib 140 mg daily plus prednisone 60 mg/m2 daily to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). After a 28-day induction, dasatinib and asciminib continued indefinitely or until hematopoietic stem cell transplant. The median age was 64.5 years (range, 33-85; 50% ³65). The recommended phase 2 dose of asciminib was 80 mg daily in combination with dasatinib and prednisone. The dose limiting toxicity at 160 mg daily was asymptomatic grade 3 pancreatic enzyme elevation without symptomatic pancreatitis. There were no vaso-occlusive events. Among patients with de novo ALL, the complete hematologic remission rate at day 28 and 84 was 84% and 100%, respectively. At day 84, 100% of patients achieved complete cytogenetic remission, 89% achieved measurable residual disease negativity (<0.01%) by multicolor flow cytometry, and 74% and 26% achieved BCR::ABL1 RT-PCR <0.1% and <0.01%. Dual BCR::ABL1 inhibition with dasatinib and asciminib is safe with encouraging activity in patients with de novo Ph+ ALL. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02081378., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Hematology.)

We evaluated response to VEN/HMA in 46 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) characterized by extramedullary disease (EMD). Median age was 65 (range, 19-81) years. Patients had a median of two EMD sites (range, 1-5) and 35 (76%) patients had concurrent bone marrow involvement. Twenty (43%) patients had highrisk genetic features according to the European Leukemia Net 2022 classification. Twenty-nine (63%) were relapsed or refractory after intensive chemotherapy (CTX) including 13 (28%) with prior allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Patients received a median of 2 cycles of VEN/HMA (range, 1-31). Twenty (43%) patients achieved complete remission (CR) or CR with incomplete hematological recovery (CRi) after VEN/HMA and five (11%) achieved a partial remission (PR). Six patients were subsequently consolidated with allo-HCT (CR/CRi, n=4; PR, n=2). Median follow-up was 49.1 months (95%-CI, 26.1 months - not reached) and median overall survival (OS) 6.4 months (95%-CI, 5.1-11 months). One-year and 2-years OS rates were 29.3% (95%-CI, 18.6-46.2%) and 12.3% (95%-CI, 5.5-27.6%), respectively. Age with a cut-off of 60 years had no impact on OS (P=0.90). Relapse occurred in 12 of 20 (60%) patients who achieved CR/CRi after VEN/HMA treatment. Of those, all except one succumbed to their disease. Six (30%) patients were in CR/CRi at last follow-up and 2 (10%) died in CR. In our cohort of patients with AML with EMD with high-risk features, treatment with VEN/HMA resulted in an encouraging ORR of 54% with a CR/CRi rate of 43.5%. However, VEN/HMA alone may not be effective in maintaining disease control.

Background: Approximately 70% of patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy (e.g., paclitaxel or vincristine) will develop chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Despite the known negative effects of CIPN on physical functioning and chemotherapy dosing, little is known about how to prevent CIPN. The development of efficacious CIPN prevention interventions is hindered by the lack of knowledge surrounding CIPN mechanisms. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + ) and cyclic-adenosine diphosphate ribose (cADPR) are potential markers of axon degeneration following neurotoxic chemotherapy, however, such markers have been exclusively measured in preclinical models of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). The overall objective of this longitudinal, observational study was to determine the association between plasma NAD + , cADPR, and ADPR with CIPN severity in young adults receiving vincristine or paclitaxel., Methods: Young adults (18-39 years old) beginning vincristine or paclitaxel were recruited from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Young adults completed the QLQ-CIPN20 sensory and motor subscales and provided a blood sample prior to starting chemotherapy (T1) and at increasing cumulative vincristine (T2: 3-5 mg, T3: 7-9 mg) and paclitaxel (T2: 300-500 mg/m 2 , T3: 700-900 mg/m 2 ) dosages. NAD + , cADPR, and ADPR were quantified from plasma using mass spectrometry. Metabolite levels and QLQ-CIPN20 scores over time were compared using mixed-effects linear regression models and/or paired two-sample tests., Results: Participants (N = 50) were mainly female (88%), white (80%), and receiving paclitaxel (78%). Sensory and motor CIPN severity increased from T1-T3 (p < 0.001). NAD + (p = 0.28), cADPR (p = 0.62), and ADPR (p = 0.005) values decreased, while cADPR/NAD + ratio increased from T1-T3 (p = 0.50). There were no statistically significant associations between NAD + and QLQ-CIPN20 scores over time., Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study to measure plasma NAD + , cADPR, and ADPR among patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy. Although, no meaningful changes in NAD + , cADPR, or cADPR/NAD + were observed among young adults receiving paclitaxel or vincristine. Future research in an adequately powered sample is needed to explore the clinical utility of biomarkers of axon degeneration among patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy to guide mechanistic research and novel CIPN treatments., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Abstract: Fusion oncogenes can be cancer-defining molecular alterations that are essential for diagnosis and therapy selection.1,2 Rapid and accessible molecular diagnostics for fusion-driven leukemias such as acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) are unavailable, creating a barrier to timely diagnosis and effective targeted therapy in many health care settings, including community hospitals and low-resource environments. We developed CRISPR-based RNA-fusion transcript detection assays using SHERLOCK (specific high-sensitivity enzymatic reporter unlocking) for the diagnosis of fusion-driven leukemias. We validated these assays using diagnostic samples from patients with APL and CML from academic centers and dried blood spots from low-resource environments, demonstrating 100% sensitivity and specificity. We identified assay optimizations to enable the use of these tests outside of tertiary cancer centers and clinical laboratories, enhancing the potential impact of this technology. Rapid point-of-care diagnostics can improve outcomes for patients with cancer by expanding access to therapies for highly treatable diseases that would otherwise lead to serious adverse outcomes due to delayed or missed diagnoses., (© 2024 American Society of Hematology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.)

About 25% of essential thrombocythemia (ET) patients present with extreme thrombocytosis (ExT), defined as having a platelet count ≥1000 x 10^9/L. ExT patients may have an increased bleeding risk associated with acquired von Willebrand syndrome. We retrospectively analyzed the risk of bleeding and thrombosis in ExT vs. non-ExT ET patients at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital from 2014-2022 to inform treatment decisions. We abstracted the first major bleed, clinically relevant non-major bleed (CRNMB), and thrombotic event from medical records. We identified 128 (28%) ExT patients and 323 (72%) non-ExT patients. Cumulative incidence of bleeding was not different in ExT vs. non-ExT patients (21% vs. 13%, p=0.28 for major bleed; 16% vs. 15%, p=0.50 for CRNMB). Very low and low thrombotic risk ExT patients were more likely to be cytoreduced compared to very low and low risk non-ExT patients (69% vs. 50%, p=0.060 for very low risk; 83% vs. 53%, p=0.0059 for low risk). However, we found no differences in bleeding between ExT and non-ExT patients when restricting the risk of bleed from diagnosis to cytoreduction start date (28% vs. 19%, p=0.29 for major bleed; 24% vs. 22%, p=0.75 for CRNMB). Cumulative incidence of thrombosis was also not different between ExT and non-ExT patients (28% vs. 25%, p=0.98). This suggests that cytoreduction may not be necessary to reduce bleeding risk based only on a platelet count of 1 million. We identified novel risk factors for bleeding in ET patients including diabetes mellitus and the DNMT3A mutation., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Hematology.)

Blinatumomab is a CD3 × CD19 antibody approved for adults with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). Blinatumomab is not considered myelosuppressive, but significant neutropenia has been seen in practice. We reviewed 95 patients with B-ALL who received blinatumomab at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute between 2015 and 2024. Of these, 71 patients were treated in morphologic remission with absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1 × 10 9 /L, for which 41% experienced grade ≥3 neutropenia and 13% developed ANC <0.1 × 10 9 /L during blinatumomab. Neutropenia occurred more frequently during cycle 2 than cycle 1, and neutropenia did not necessarily portend worse neutropenia in later cycles. Multivariable analysis did not identify concurrent tyrosine kinase inhibitor use as a significant covariate for neutropenia. The nine patients who experienced ANC <0.1 × 10 9 /L did not develop serious infections and received supportive care. Neutropenia occurs frequently and may be severe in patients with B-ALL who receive blinatumomab during remission, but complications appear manageable.

Mutations in the cohesin complex components (STAG2, RAD21, SMC1A, SMC3, and PDS5B) are recurrent genetic drivers in myelodysplastic neoplasm (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Whether the different cohesin subunit mutations share clinical characteristics and prognostic significance is not known. We analyzed 790 cohesin-mutant patients from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) and the Munich Leukemia Laboratory (MLL), 390 of which had available outcome data, and identified subunit-specific clinical, prognostic, and genetic characteristics suggestive of distinct ontogenies. We found that STAG2 mutations are acquired at MDS stage and are associated with secondary AML, adverse prognosis, and co-occurrence of secondary AML-type mutations. In contrast, mutations in RAD21, SMC1A and SMC3 share features with de novo AML with better prognosis, and co-occurrence with de novo AML-type lesions. The findings show the heterogeneous nature of cohesin complex mutations, and inform clinical and prognostic classification, as well as distinct biology of the cohesin complex., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The effect of prior inotuzumab ozogamicin (InO) treatment on brexucabtagene autoleucel (brexu-cel) outcomes remains unclear in adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), particularly the influence off previous InO response and the timing of administration. We conducted a retrospective multicenter analysis of 189 patients with relapsed/refractory (r/r) ALL treated with brexu-cel. Over half of the patients received InO before brexu-cel (InO-exposed). InO-exposed patients were more heavily pretreated (p= 0.02) and frequently had active marrow disease pre-apheresis (p= 0.03). Response rate and toxicity profile following brexu-cel were comparable for InO-exposed and InO-naïve; however, consolidation therapy post brexu-cel response was utilized at a higher rate in InO-naïve patients (p= 0.005). With a median follow up of 11.4 months, InO-exposed patients had inferior progression-free survival (PFS) (p=0.013) and overall survival (OS) (p=0.006) in univariate analyses; however, prior InO exposure did not influence PFS (HR 1.20, 95%CI, 0.71-2.03) in multivariate models. When InO-exposed patients were stratified according to prior InO response, InO responders had superior PFS (p=0.002) and OS (p<0.0001) relative to InO-refractory. The timing of administering InO did not affect brexu-cel outcomes, with comparable PFS (p=0.51) and OS (p=0.86) for patients receiving InO as bridging therapy or pre-apheresis. In conclusion, while InO exposure was associated with inferior survival outcomes following brexu-cel in unadjusted analyses, these associations were no longer significant in multivariate analyses, suggesting it is unlikely that InO negatively impacts brexu-cel efficacy. Our data instead imply that InO-exposed recipients of brexu-cel tend to be higher-risk patients with intrinsic adverse leukemia biology., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Hematology.)

Background: Clinical trial participation at Comprehensive Cancer Centers (CCC) is inequitable for minoritized racial and ethnic groups with acute leukemia. CCCs care for a high proportion of adults with acute leukemia. It is unclear if participation inequities are due to CCC access, post-access enrollment, or both., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults with acute leukemia (2010-2019) residing within Massachusetts, the designated catchment area of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC). Individuals were categorized as non-Hispanic Asian (NHA), Black (NHB), White (NHW), Hispanic White (HW), or Other. Decomposition analyses assessed covariate contributions to disparities in (1) access to DF/HCC care and (2) post-access enrollment., Results: Of 3698 individuals with acute leukemia, 85.9% were NHW, 4.5% HW, 4.3% NHB, 3.7% NHA, and 1.3% Other. Access was lower for HW (age- and sex-adjusted OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.45 to 0.90) and reduced post-access enrollment for HW (aOR = 0.54, 95% CI =0.34 to 0.86) and NHB (aOR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.39 to 0.92) compared to NHW. Payor and socioeconomic status (SES) accounted for 25.2% and 21.2% of the +1.1% absolute difference in HW access. Marital status and SES accounted for 8.0% and 7.0% of the -8.8% absolute disparity in HW enrollment; 76.4% of the disparity was unexplained. SES and marital status accounted for 8.2% and 7.1% of the -9.1% absolute disparity in NHB enrollment; 73.0% of the disparity was unexplained., Conclusions: A substantial proportion of racial and ethnic inequities in acute leukemia trial enrollment at CCCs are from post-access enrollment, the majority of which was not explained by sociodemographic factors., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The clinical impact of molecular ontogeny in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was defined in patients treated with intensive chemotherapy. In a cohort of 314 newly diagnosed AML patients, we evaluated whether molecular ontogeny subgroups have differential benefit of venetoclax (VEN) added to hypomethylating agents (HMA). In secondary ontogeny (n = 115), median overall survival (OS)(14.1 vs. 6.9 months, P = 0.0054), composite complete remission (cCR 61% vs. 18%, P < 0.001) and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (alloHCT) (24% vs. 6%, P = 0.02) rates were better in patients treated with HMA + VEN vs. HMA. In contrast, in TP53 AML(n = 111) median OS (5.7 vs. 6.1, P = 0.93), cCR (33% vs. 37%, P = 0.82) and alloHCT rates (15% vs. 8%, P = 0.38) did not differ between HMA + VEN vs. HMA. The benefit of VEN addition in the secondary group was preserved after adjustment for significant clinicopathologic variables (HR 0.59 [95% CI 0.38-0.94], P = 0.025). The OS benefit of HMA + VEN in secondary ontogeny was similar in those with vs. without splicing mutations (P = 0.92). Secondary ontogeny AML highlights a group of patients whose disease is selectively responsive to VEN added to HMA and that the addition of VEN has no clinical benefit in TP53-mutated AML., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Abstract: Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) can involve skin, bone marrow (BM), central nervous system (CNS), and non-CNS extramedullary sites. Preclinical models demonstrated clonal advantage of TET2-mutated plasmacytoid dendritic cells exposed to UV radiation. However, whether sun exposure, disease characteristics, and patient survival are clinically related is unclear. We classified organ involvement in 66 patients at diagnosis as skin only (n = 19), systemic plus skin (n = 33), or systemic only (n = 14). BM involvement was absent, microscopic (<5%), or overt (≥5%). UV exposure was based on clinical and demographic data. Patients with skin only BPDCN were more frequently aged ≥75 years (47% vs 19%; P = .032) and had lower rates of complex karyotype (0 vs 32%, P = .022) and mutated NRAS (0 vs 29%, P = .044). Conversely, those without skin involvement had lower UV exposure (23% vs 59%, P = .03) and fewer TET2 mutations (33% vs 72%, P = .051). The median overall survival (OS) was 23.5, 20.4, and 17.5 months for skin only, systemic plus skin, and systemic only, respectively. Patients with no BM involvement had better OS vs overt involvement (median OS, 27.3 vs 15.0 months; P = .033) and comparable with microscopic involvement (27.3 vs 23.5 months; P = .6). Overt BM involvement remained significant for OS when adjusted for baseline characteristics and treatment received. In summary, BPDCN clinical characteristics are associated with disease genetics and survival, which together may impact prognosis and indicate informative disease subtypes for future research., (© 2024 by The American Society of Hematology. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), permitting only noncommercial, nonderivative use with attribution. All other rights reserved.)

Efforts to cure BCR::ABL1 B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) solely through inhibition of ABL1 kinase activity have thus far been insufficient despite the availability of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) with broad activity against resistance mutants. The mechanisms that drive persistence within minimal residual disease (MRD) remain poorly understood and therefore untargeted. Utilizing 13 patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models and clinical trial specimens of Ph+ ALL, we examined how genetic and transcriptional features co-evolve to drive progression during prolonged TKI response. Our work reveals a landscape of cooperative mutational and transcriptional escape mechanisms that differ from those causing resistance to first generation TKIs. By analyzing MRD during remission, we show that the same resistance mutation can either increase or decrease cellular fitness depending on transcriptional state. We further demonstrate that directly targeting transcriptional state-associated vulnerabilities at MRD can overcome BCR::ABL1 independence, suggesting a new paradigm for rationally eradicating MRD prior to relapse. Finally, we illustrate how cell mass measurements of leukemia cells can be used to rapidly monitor dominant transcriptional features of Ph+ ALL to help rationally guide therapeutic selection from low-input samples., Competing Interests: DECLARATION OF INTERESTS S.R.M., R.J.K., M.M.S., and D.M.W. disclose equity ownership in Travera. A.K.S. reports compensation for consulting and/or SAB membership from Honeycomb Biotechnologies, Cellarity, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Fog Pharma, Passkey Therapeutics, Ochre Bio, Relation Therapeutics, IntrECate biotherapeutics, and Dahlia Biosciences unrelated to this work. P.S.W receives research funding from Microsoft. S.R. holds equity in Amgen and receives research funding from Microsoft. D.M.W. is an employee of Merck and Co., owns equity in Merck and Co., Bantam, Ajax, and Travera, received consulting fees from Astra Zeneca, Secura, Novartis, and Roche/Genentech, and received research support from Daiichi Sankyo, Astra Zeneca, Verastem, Abbvie, Novartis, Abcura, and Surface Oncology. P.S.W., A.K.S., M.A.M., S.R.M., and D.M.W. have filed a patent related to this work. Other authors – none.

Myeloid neoplasms arise from preexisting clonal hematopoiesis (CH); however, the role of CH in the pathogenesis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is unknown. We found that 18% of adult ALL cases harbored TP53, and 16% had myeloid CH-associated gene mutations. ALL with myeloid mutations (MyM) had distinct genetic and clinical characteristics, associated with inferior survival. By using single-cell proteogenomic analysis, we demonstrated that myeloid mutations were present years before the diagnosis of ALL, and a subset of these clones expanded over time to manifest as dominant clones in ALL. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed upregulation of genes associated with cell survival and resistance to apoptosis in B-ALL with MyM, which responds better to newer immunotherapeutic approaches. These findings define ALL with MyM as a high-risk disease that can arise from antecedent CH and offer new mechanistic insights to develop better therapeutic and preventative strategies., Significance: CH is a precursor lesion for lymphoblastic leukemogenesis. ALL with MyM has distinct genetic and clinical characteristics, associated with adverse survival outcomes after chemotherapy. CH can precede ALL years before diagnosis, and ALL with MyM is enriched with activated T cells that respond to immunotherapies such as blinatumomab. See related commentary by Iacobucci, p. 142., (©2023 The Authors; Published by the American Association for Cancer Research.)

In many cancers, mortality is associated with the emergence of relapse with multidrug resistance (MDR). Thus far, the investigation of cancer relapse mechanisms has largely focused on acquired genetic mutations. Using acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patient-derived xenografts (PDX), we systematically elucidated a basis of MDR and identified drug sensitivity in relapsed AML. We derived pharmacologic sensitivity for 22 AML PDX models using dynamic BH3 profiling (DBP), together with genomics and transcriptomics. Using in vivo acquired resistant PDXs, we found that resistance to unrelated, narrowly targeted agents in distinct PDXs was accompanied by broad resistance to drugs with disparate mechanisms. Moreover, baseline mitochondrial apoptotic priming was consistently reduced regardless of the class of drug-inducing selection. By applying DBP, we identified drugs showing effective in vivo activity in resistant models. This study implies evasion of apoptosis drives drug resistance and demonstrates the feasibility of the DBP approach to identify active drugs for patients with relapsed AML., Significance: Acquired resistance to targeted therapy remains challenging in AML. We found that reduction in mitochondrial priming and common transcriptomic signatures was a conserved mechanism of acquired resistance across different drug classes in vivo. Drugs active in vivo can be identified even in the multidrug resistant state by DBP., (©2024 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Clinical trial eligibility criteria can unfairly exclude patients or unnecessarily expose them to known risks if criteria are not concordant with drug safety. There are few data evaluating the extent to which acute leukemia eligibility criteria are justified. We analyzed criteria and drug safety data for front-line phase II and/or III acute leukemia trials with start dates 1/1/2010-12/31/2019 registered on clinicaltrials.gov. Multivariable analyses assessed concordance between criteria use and safety data (presence of criteria with a safety signal, or absence of criteria without a signal), and differences between criteria and safety-based limits. Of 250 eligible trials, concordant use of ejection fraction criteria was seen in 34.8%, corrected QT level (QTc) in 22.4%, bilirubin in 68.4%, aspartate transaminase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) in 58.8%, renal function in 68.4%, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 54.8%, and hepatitis B and C in 42.0% and 41.2%. HIV and hepatitis B and C criteria use was concordant with safety data (adjusted Odds Ratios 2.04 [95%CI: 1.13, 3.66], 2.64 [95%CI: 1.38, 5.04], 2.27 [95%CI: 1.20, 4.32]) but organ function criteria were not (all P>0.05); phase III trials were not more concordant. Bilirubin criteria limits were the same as safety-based limits in 16.0% of trials, AST/ALT in 18.1%, and renal function in 13.9%; in 75.7%, 51.4%, and 56.5% of trials, criteria were more restrictive, respectively, by median differences of 0.2, 0.5, and 0.5 times the upper limits of normal. We found limited drug safety justifications for acute leukemia eligibility criteria. These data define criteria use and limits that can be rationally modified to increase patient inclusion and welfare.

Philadelphia-chromosome-negative (Ph-neg) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has historically been associated with poor outcomes in older patients due to adverse disease biology, as well as inferior tolerance of conventional chemotherapy. Fortunately, novel therapies, including inotuzumab ozogamicin, blinatumomab, and venetoclax, are now being incorporated into first-line therapy to improve efficacy and decrease toxicity of initial therapy. Inotuzumab ozogamicin, alone or in combination with low intensity chemotherapy, appears to be best suited for the induction phase of treatment due to efficacy in the setting of high tumor burden. In contrast, blinatumomab may be best suited for consolidation due to superior efficacy in setting of morphologic remission, with or without measurable residual disease (MRD). Venetoclax is being investigated in combination with chemotherapy and can be used for treatment of older adults with both B-cell and T-cell ALL. Ongoing trials incorporating inotuzumab, blinatumomab, and venetoclax demonstrate high rates of MRD-negative complete remissions with low early mortality. Long-term outcomes have been less favorable so far, with several trials reporting nonrelapse mortality during subsequent treatment. Unanswered questions remain regarding the optimal treatment of older adults with Ph-neg ALL, including central nervous system (CNS) prophylaxis, the most appropriate consolidation to minimize toxicity without compromising efficacy, and the role of transplant and cellular therapy. T-cell ALL remains an area of unmet need and effort is required to ensure that therapeutic advances benefit all populations equitably. In this manuscript, we review current data and ongoing trials regarding the treatment of older adults with Ph-neg ALL and define topics for further research., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Advisory Boards for Pfizer, Novartis, Jazz, and Kite; Research Funding from Novartis and AbbVie., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Adolescents and young adult (AYA) patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) face worse outcomes than children. While pediatric-inspired protocols have improved outcomes, the ability of patients to complete these intensive regimens and the reasons for discontinuation are unknown. We analyzed a cohort of 332 AYA patients (aged 15-49 years) and 1159 children (aged 1-14 years) with Ph-negative ALL treated on DFCI consortium protocols. We found that AYA patients completed treatment at lower rates than children (60.8% vs. 89.7%, p < 0.001), primarily due to higher rates of early treatment failure (14.5% vs. 2.4%, p < 0.001). Withdrawal from treatment for toxicity, social/personal, or unknown reasons was uncommon, but higher among AYA patients (9.3% vs 4.7%, p = 0.001). Patients who remained on assigned therapy for one year had favorable overall survival (AYA 5-year OS 88.9%; children 5-year OS 96.4%; p < 0.001). Among patients who continued treatment for 1 year, AYA patients completed asparaginase (defined as receiving 26+ weeks) at lower rates than children (79.1% vs. 89.6%, p < 0.001). Patients who received more weeks of consolidation asparaginase had higher overall and event-free survival. Efforts should focus on identifying patients at risk for early treatment failure and optimizing asparaginase delivery., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Abstract: CD123, a subunit of the interleukin-3 receptor, is expressed on ∼80% of acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs). Tagraxofusp (TAG), recombinant interleukin-3 fused to a truncated diphtheria toxin payload, is a first-in-class drug targeting CD123 approved for treatment of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm. We previously found that AMLs with acquired resistance to TAG were re-sensitized by the DNA hypomethylating agent azacitidine (AZA) and that TAG-exposed cells became more dependent on the antiapoptotic molecule BCL-2. Here, we report a phase 1b study in 56 adults with CD123-positive AML or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), first combining TAG with AZA in AML/MDS, and subsequently TAG, AZA, and the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax (VEN) in AML. Adverse events with 3-day TAG dosing were as expected, without indication of increased toxicity of TAG or AZA+/-VEN in combination. The recommended phase 2 dose of TAG was 12 μg/kg/day for 3 days, with 7-day AZA +/- 21-day VEN. In an expansion cohort of 26 patients (median age 71) with previously untreated European LeukemiaNet adverse-risk AML (50% TP53 mutated), triplet TAG-AZA-VEN induced response in 69% (n=18/26; 39% complete remission [CR], 19% complete remission with incomplete count recovery [CRi], 12% morphologic leukemia-free state [MLFS]). Among 13 patients with TP53 mutations, 7/13 (54%) achieved CR/CRi/MLFS (CR = 4, CRi = 2, MLFS = 1). Twelve of 17 (71%) tested responders had no flow measurable residual disease. Median overall survival and progression-free survival were 14 months (95% CI, 9.5-NA) and 8.5 months (95% CI, 5.1-NA), respectively. In summary, TAG-AZA-VEN shows encouraging safety and activity in high-risk AML, including TP53-mutated disease, supporting further clinical development of TAG combinations. The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov as #NCT03113643., (© 2024 by The American Society of Hematology. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), permitting only noncommercial, nonderivative use with attribution. All other rights reserved.)

Purpose: This study investigated the effectiveness of algorithmic testing in hematopathology at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI). The algorithm was predicated on test selection after an initial pathologic evaluation to maximize cost-effective testing, especially for expensive molecular and cytogenetic assays., Materials and Methods: Standard ordering protocols (SOPs) for 17 disease categories were developed and encoded in a decision support application. Six months of retrospective data from application beta testing was obtained and compared with actual testing practices during that timeframe. In addition, 2 years of prospective data were also obtained from patients at one community satellite site., Results: A total of 460 retrospective cases (before introduction of algorithmic testing) and 109 prospective cases (following introduction) were analyzed. In the retrospective data, 61.7% of tests (509 of 825) were concordant with the SOPs while 38.3% (316 of 825) were overordered and 30.8% (227 of 736) of SOP-recommended tests were omitted. In the prospective data, 98.8% of testing was concordant (244 of 247 total tests) with only 1.2% overordered tests (3 of 247) and 7.6% omitted tests (20 of 264 SOP-recommended tests; overall P < .001). The cost of overordered tests before implementing SOP indicates a potential annualized saving of $1,347,520 in US dollars (USD) in overordered testing at Brigham and Women's Hospital/DFCI. Only two of 316 overordered tests (0.6%) returned any additional information, both for extremely rare clinical circumstances., Conclusion: Implementation of SOPs dramatically improved test ordering practices, with a just right number of ancillary tests that minimizes cost and has no significant impact on acquiring key informative test results.

Background: Bacillus cereus is a ubiquitous gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium that can cause sepsis and neuroinvasive disease in patients with acute leukemia or neutropenia., Methods: A single-center retrospective review was conducted to evaluate patients with acute leukemia, positive blood or cerebrospinal fluid test results for B cereus , and abnormal neuroradiographic findings between January 2018 and October 2022. Infection control practices were observed, environmental samples obtained, a dietary case-control study completed, and whole genome sequencing performed on environmental and clinical Bacillus isolates., Results: Five patients with B cereus neuroinvasive disease were identified. All patients had acute myeloid leukemia (AML), were receiving induction chemotherapy, and were neutropenic. Neurologic involvement included subarachnoid or intraparenchymal hemorrhage or brain abscess. All patients were treated with ciprofloxacin and survived with limited or no neurologic sequelae. B cereus was identified in 7 of 61 environmental samples and 1 of 19 dietary protein samples-these were unrelated to clinical isolates via sequencing. No point source was identified. Ciprofloxacin was added to the empiric antimicrobial regimen for patients with AML and prolonged or recurrent neutropenic fevers; no new cases were identified in the ensuing year., Conclusions: B cereus is ubiquitous in the hospital environment, at times leading to clusters with unrelated isolates. Fastidious infection control practices addressing a range of possible exposures are warranted, but their efficacy is unknown and they may not be sufficient to prevent all infections. Thus, including B cereus coverage in empiric regimens for patients with AML and persistent neutropenic fever may limit the morbidity of this pathogen., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. M. K.: royalties from UpToDate. All other authors report no potential conflicts., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Abstract: T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-ALL/LBL) is a rare hematologic malignancy most commonly affecting adolescent and young adult males. Outcomes are dismal for patients who relapse, thus, improvement in treatment is needed. Nelarabine, a prodrug of the deoxyguanosine analog 9-β-arabinofuranosylguanine, is uniquely toxic to T lymphoblasts, compared with B lymphoblasts and normal lymphocytes, and has been developed for the treatment of T-ALL/LBL. Based on phase 1 and 2 trials in children and adults, single-agent nelarabine is approved for treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory T-ALL/LBL, with the major adverse effect being central and peripheral neurotoxicity. Since its approval in 2005, nelarabine has been studied in combination with other chemotherapy agents for relapsed disease and is also being studied as a component of initial treatment in pediatric and adult patients. Here, we review current data on nelarabine and present our approach to the use of nelarabine in the treatment of patients with T-ALL/LBL., (© 2023 by The American Society of Hematology. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), permitting only noncommercial, nonderivative use with attribution. All other rights reserved.)

In this study, we performed a comprehensive molecular analysis of paired skin and peripheral blood/bone marrow (BM) samples from 17 patients with cutaneous myeloid or cutaneous histiocytic-dendritic neoplasms. The cutaneous manifestations included 10 patients with cutaneous acute myeloid leukemia (c-AML), 2 patients with full or partial Langerhans cell differentiation, 2 patients with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasms (BPDCN), 1 patient with both Langerhans cell differentiation and BPDCN, and 2 patients with full or partial indeterminate dendritic cell differentiation. Seven of the 10 c-AML patients (70%) exhibited concurrent or subsequent marrow involvement by acute myeloid leukemia, with all 7 cases (100%) demonstrating shared clonal mutations in both the skin and BM. However, clonal relatedness was documented in one additional case that never had any BM involvement. Nevertheless, NPM1 mutations were identified in 7 of the 10 (70%) of these c-AML cases while one had KMT2A rearrangement and one showed inv(16). All 3 patients (100%) with Langerhans cell neoplasms, 2 patients with BPDCN (100%), and one of the 2 patients (50%) with other cutaneous dendritic cell neoplasms also demonstrated shared mutations between the skin and concurrent or subsequent myeloid neoplasms. Both BM and c-AML shared identical founding drivers, with a predominance of NPM1, DNMT3A, and translocations associated with monocytic differentiation, with common cutaneous-only mutations involving genes in the signal transduction and epigenetic pathways. Cutaneous histiocytic-dendritic neoplasms shared founding drivers in ASXL1, TET2, and/or SRSF2. However, in the Langerhans cell histiocytosis or histiocytic sarcoma cases, there exist recurrent secondary RAS pathway hits, whereas cutaneous BPDCN cases exhibit copy number or structural variants. These results enrich and broaden our understanding of clonally related cutaneous manifestations of myeloid neoplasms and further illuminate the highly diverse spectrum of morphologic and immunophenotypic features they exhibit., (Copyright © 2023 United States & Canadian Academy of Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare hematologic malignancy that presents with characteristic dark purple skin papules, plaques, and tumors, but may also involve the bone marrow, blood, lymph nodes, and central nervous system. The disease, which commonly affects older men but can also present in children, is associated with a distinct immunophenotype including universal expression of CD123, the α chain of the interleukin 3 receptor. Recently, tagraxofusp, a CD123-targeting drug consisting of the ligand for CD123, interleukin 3, conjugated to a truncated diphtheria toxin payload was approved for treatment of BPDCN. This was the first agent specifically approved for BPDCN and the first CD123 targeted agent in oncology. Here, we review the development of tagraxofusp, and the key preclinical insights and clinical data that led to approval. Tagraxofusp treatment is associated with a unique toxicity, capillary leak syndrome (CLS), which can be severe but is manageable with proper patient selection and monitoring, early recognition, and directed intervention. We outline our approach to the use of tagraxofusp and discuss open questions in the treatment of BPDCN. Overall, tagraxofusp represents a unique targeted therapy and a step forward in meeting an unmet need for patients with this rare disease.

Purpose: Cancer patients with advanced-stage disease have poor prognosis, typically having limited options for efficacious treatment, and genomics-based therapy guidance continues to benefit only a fraction of patients. Next-generation ex vivo approaches, such as cell mass-based response testing (MRT), offer an alternative precision medicine approach for a broader population of patients with cancer, but validation of clinical feasibility and potential impact remain necessary., Materials and Methods: We evaluated the clinical feasibility and accuracy of using live-cell MRT to predict patient drug sensitivity. Using a unified measurement workflow with a 48-hour result turnaround time, samples were subjected to MRT after treatment with a panel of drugs in vitro. After completion of therapeutic course, clinical response data were correlated with MRT-based predictions of outcome. Specimens were collected from 104 patients with solid (n = 69) and hematologic (n = 35) malignancies, using tissue formats including needle biopsies, malignant fluids, bone marrow aspirates, and blood samples. Of the 81 (78%) specimens qualified for MRT, 41 (51%) patients receiving physician-selected therapies had treatments matched to MRT., Results: MRT demonstrated high concordance with clinical responses with an odds ratio (OR) of 14.80 ( P = .0003 [95% CI, 2.83 to 102.9]). This performance held for both solid and hematologic malignances with ORs of 20.67 ( P = .0128 [95% CI, 1.45 to 1,375.57]) and 8.20 ( P = .045 [95% CI, 0.77 to 133.56]), respectively. Overall, these results had a predictive accuracy of 80% ( P = .0026 [95% CI, 65 to 91])., Conclusion: MRT showed highly significant correlation with clinical response to therapy. Routine clinical use is technically feasible and broadly applicable to a wide range of samples and malignancy types, supporting the need for future validation studies.